Serious About Mountain Biking

Who is Sam Hill?

Sam Hill is the 2017 overall winner of the Enduro World Series. Sam took the third place in the final round in Finale Ligure, Italy, and this was enough to secure him his first Enduro World Championship title. Sam Hill was born in Viveash, Western Australian on 21 July, 1985. Since the age of 16, Sam has been a top downhill mountain biker. Between 2006 and 2007, Sam won the UCI World Downhill Championship two consecutive times.

In 2010, he won the Mont Saint Anne World Championships being sponsored by the Monster Energy. As of 2016, Sam started racing Enduro fulltime, and this year he has won the 2017 Enduro World Series title. This year, Sam Hill used the same bike to win Downhill World Championships in Cairns, Australia and finished in the sixth position.

Sam Hill: Riding Style and Strategies

Sam Hill is popularly known for his unique skills in riding steep, technical courses rather than flatter courses that need pedaling. In fact, he has consecutively won on one of the steepest and most complicated tracks on the World Cup Circuit, Schladming. In 2016, he attained a second place finish in Round 3 of the Enduro World Series in Ireland on a course that needed significant technical ability and pedaling strength.

Enduro racing does bring in new elements to the traditional downhill riding Sam is used to. However, at the end of the day, all what is important is to get down the mountain the fastest and there are many better at that than Hill. He adds that he had to change some of his strategies to emerge the winner. He had to learn how to cope with the longer events and the two day Enduro races.

According to Mr. Hill, the tracks in Finale, Italy are very steep and rocky, and given the lack of moisture at this EWS event, they become incredibly dusty and slippery. With 7 stages over two days and slim lead in the title chase, the goal is to win the championship. Not one to take a conservative approach to racing, Sam Hill attacked as always, taking third place for the Weekend only at 30.49 seconds off the lead after 49 minutes of the total timed stages in round eight.

To win the 2017 EWS title, Sam says he has done things his own way: supreme bike skills, a lot of training and determination, amazing team support, flat pedals, family man and the crucial use of the All In Multitool. All these factors contributed to his success in one way or the other.

Sam Hill: Nukeproof Mega 275 Carbon

This is not first time we have heard of the Nukeproof Mega 275 Carbon, but this bike Hill used to win the 2017 Enduro World Series and achieve a sixth position in the DH World Championships in Cairns. Developed about four years ago and now available to the general public, it has been a long road to get there. The Nukeproof Mega 275 bike has 165 mm of rear travel delivered through a Horst Link suspension, wide shock hardware to enhance resistance to side loading. The bike was designed to be 1x specific to stiffen up the bottom brackets.

The new carbon fiber model features identical geometry as the aluminum model, but is a little stiffer and lighter for riders who want that little bit extra. Nukeproof says the new carbon has been introduced to cater for the hard charging riders, like Sam. The bike’s cable routing is also very well worked out as well as its mechanics. Nukeproof has also added an access an access window to help with cable access. An aluminum rear triangle has also been added to cater for riders who keep hammering into the terrains regularly.

When compared to the earlier model, the Mega 275 has been improved to make it more reliable, efficient and fast. First, the manufacturer has made Handlebars and increased Headtubes 5mm longer to provide a higher stack height. Top tubes, on the other hand, have been made longer between 10 to 35mm in the L and XL models to give a greater separation of sizes and accommodate taller riders more efficiently. The entire range has been pushed up to Boost in the rear and front for maximum performance and all have good tires.

Sam Hill: All In Multitool

A multi tool is an essential first aid kit for any EWS rider. Trail side repairs will come up sometime or the other. Having an efficient set of tools to get you on the roll is vital. The All In Multitool is a well made multi tool with all the crucial wrenches stuffed in a neat frame and hidden in the crankset. Sam Hill says that the All in Multitool has all the tools that a bike requires.

The All In Multitool comes with an ergonomically designed handle made of lightweight but super tough composite materials. Made in Italy, the All In Multitool is lightweight to ensure you can carry around inside your bike's crankset. All its tools are made from heat treated tool for maximum strength and durability. The tools also feature an anti corrosion finish to ensure their long lasting performance.

Sam Hill: What to Expect in 2018

Accordin to Sam Hill, it was massive to accomplish a dream he set for himself at the beginning of the year. He said that he felt a lot of stress at the beginning of the week, but once he started racing, he was more relaxed and just focused on one stage at a time. Next year, Sam says he will focus on the Enduro World Series and try to defend his title. He says he has learnt a lot this year, and he feels kike that he will come back even stronger. Sam also said that he is not sure whether he will race in World Cups as he had no plans to do so. During the off season, Hill said he will commence his winter training to continue dominating through the 2018 season.